stories of community, faith, and values

During his weekend message,Northview Church’s Lead Pastor Steve Poe spoke of a trend in the 1980s known as “cocooning.” It is the simple act of isolating ourselves in our own homes. Poe felt as if we are returning to this practice (especially men) in this current day.

To bring the men of Northview out of this practice of cocooning, Northview attendees had an opportunity to participate in an afternoon’s activity by going to the movies. Northview showed a movie called “Courageous” (from the creators of “Facing the Giants” and “Fireproof”) at Village Park Regal Cinemas on Oct. 2. Northview fathers got out of their “cocoons” and some brought their sons to see what being “Courageous” is all about.

This is what the media has said about the latest effort from Sherwood Pictures:

Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. Bet they are quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.

When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God… and their children?

Filled with action-packed police drama, “Courageous” is the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Riveted moviegoers will once again find themselves laughing, crying and cheering as they are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That’s courageous.

In today’s society, families are loaded with more responsibilities than ever before. Both parents often work, overtime is common, and kids are busy after school with soccer practice, cheerleading and academic clubs. By the time everyone is home, parents are cooking dinner and cleaning the house while the kids are finishing their homework, texting their friends and playing video games.

Is it any wonder why families have trouble communicating these days?

Northview Church recognizes this, which is why the church is focusing on a seven-week series for the whole family, including activities designed to bring families closer together and closer to God.

“For many years, parents have dropped off their teen at church and said: You train and teach my child things of the faith. You are the expert; you teach them,” Dave Choutka, Northview’s student ministry pastor, said. “That’s not what the Bible teaches. In Deuteronomy 6:4-7, the Shema commands that the parents should be the main faith influencers of their life. So, as a youth pastor, my goal is to come alongside the parent by helping and resourcing them to be that main faith influence in their kid’s life.”

The series will focus on healthy marriages, strained relationships with siblings/extended families and aging parents, according to Greg Wallace, Northview’s creative arts pastor. In addition, one of the sermons will explain how to work through family baggage that was learned as a child.

“We will talk about prejudice, bad habits and the lack of knowing anything different from your childhood,” Wallace said.

Parents will also learn the value of setting a good example and understanding individualism among their children.

“The series is about creating a vision and how you live out your family values,” Joe McGinnis, Northview’s children’s pastor, said. “Serve with your children. Kids need to grow up in that kind of environment. Parents should set that example. We will also explain how to let kids be individuals instead of using the cookie-cutter approach that is often used as a parent.”

One of the more challenging things about being a parent is learning to communicate with teenagers, who may act uninterested in their parents and communicate through grunts or one-word answers. However, according to Choutka, teenagers really do want that close relationship.

To help parents and teenagers effectively communicate with each other, Northview is offering activities and workshops during the series. North Beach will host a three-week series for students between fifth grade and high-school seniors titled “How to Train Your Parents”.

“We want students to understand that trust is built through honesty and respecting guidelines set for them,” Choutka said.

The series will help teens communicate with their parents in a healthy way while participating in fun activities such as “Family Feud”. During the final week, there will be a parent workshop on Friday, June 3, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Barn. Teens can text questions while parents, with the help of Choutka and student ministry pastor Kurt Brodbeck, can answer their questions.

“Giving parents insight on how their teen thinks and the importance of listening to their teen is important,” Choutka said. “Then helping parents think through the right questions to ask their teen, and using some helpful tools to apply in building strong communication, can help the relationship with their teen deepen and grow.”

For all parents, Northview will offer a class on Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to noon, called “Family Road Map Class,” which will be led by McGinnis and his wife. The class will be a guide to help parents raise kids and prepare values for them at various ages. It will include a workbook written by pastors at Northview.

Northview is also planning several exciting events during the series that the whole family can enjoy, including movie nights held on three different Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the Northview auditorium. The first movie, “Tangled,” was shown on May 11 to well over 400 individuals. “Despicable Me” will be viewed on May 25 and “The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader” will be shown on June 8.

During the last weekend for the family series (Father’s Day weekend, June 18 and 19) dads will be treated to a car show in the lower east-end parking lot after the Saturday 5 p.m. service and Sunday after the 11 a.m. service.

In addition, Northview is hosting a picnic/camping night behind North Beach on Saturday, May 28(Memorial Day weekend), starting at 5 p.m. Families can bring items to grill and pitch tents for an overnight stay.

To help parents remember to keep open communication after the series, a team of Northview pastors are launching a website called “Family Playbook”. The site, focusing on topics such as sex, identity in Christ, dating, wise choices, the importance of a biblical worldview, spiritual disciplines, finances and serving, will help parents of kids in all age groups.

There will be six faith talks that the parents will receive every year after signing up for Family Playbook, according to Choutka. The parent will receive one faith talk every two months that is custom-designed for each grade. These will help parents have a faith conversation with their child, from the time that child is in kindergarten through their senior year in high school. Parents will receive a text message and an e-mail to let them know when to have this specific conversation on a certain topic with their child.

“This is a way to help teach faith and instill a biblical worldview to their child,” Choutka said.

For more information on this series, please visit northviewchurch.us/family.